Why is Woodworking Good for You?

Woodworking can mean something different to everyone. For some it’s an opportunity to stretch the creative muscles. For others it’s a source of stress relief. For many of us, it’s a connection to our past or families.

We wanted to know, what makes woodworking meaningful for you? How has it impacted your life? We posed the question on Facebook, and here is what you had to say.

If you have something to add, let us know! Post a comment or share with us on Facebook.

Woodworking is good for me because it keeps me close to my father and reminds me of the projects we worked on together over the years. He always told me, “Once you get sawdust in your hair, you’ll never get it out.” – Ken B.

I suffer from chronic depression. I found that when I am in my shed, working on a project for myself or for others, it put me at peace with my world. I find that I look forward to getting back there to continue whatever woodworking project I’m doing! – Dave B.

Woodworking is good for me because it allows me to create something useful and lasting. – James W.

There is nothing like taking a pile of wood and turning it in to something. Then having your family say how beautiful it is. Plus, sawdust is good for the soul. – Scott E.

Woodworking is who I am. It makes the world go away for a while and I can express what is going through my mind at the time. When I close my doors and put on some classical music, my mind stops to think and everything goes to my hands with no influence from the everyday stuff. I have no plans or diagrams of anything in my shop – I just do what feels right. Sometimes I feel like a blind man feeling his way through the world. – Brian R.

I love woodworking because it teaches my children that you don’t have to rely on others to build something for you to buy in a store. They appreciate the furniture I build and tell people with pride that I built it. I love that my children are seeing a world outside of what they can buy in a store. – Tabitha B.

I’m an artist and an over-50-something. Woodworking helps me create better-made wall art pieces through the understanding of wood joinery and assembly techniques, and learning a completely new skillset at my age is good for the brain, too! – Valerie H.

Woodworking is good for me because it means a lot to me to build pieces that other people will enjoy. It’s also a great way to spend time with my wife who enjoys it as well! – Dan S.

I too suffer from depression and anxiety. Woodworking definitely helps calm the nerves and allows me to forget about everything else for a while. Also I am a carpenter by trade and we don’t cut too many dovetails these days, so letting the creative juices flow after work is fun. – Kevin W.

Woodworking is good for me because I know I will have beautiful and beneficial wood pieces for holiday gifts and for my comfort, thanks to my talented woodworking son, Laney. – Mary Beth

Woodworking is therapeutic for me. Using only hand tools and working at my own leisurely pace in a peaceful environment, I don’t have to worry so much about the end result but enjoy the process of crafting something from nothing. Plus I get to take pride in designing and making something with my own hands. – Troy L.

Woodworking is not only good, but great for me. It allows me to utilize everything I’ve been gifted with. Secondly, it has given me a goal to reach for which is to do what I love and to be able to support my family. – Nicholas S.

As a busy accountant and mother, woodworking is my “me time.” I let all the stresses, deadlines, and demands fall away when I’m in the shop. It forces me to concentrate on the one thing I am cutting or measuring. By doing that, it relaxes my mind from making lists of things to do and places the kids have to go. I need that – I need time to think of one thing and one thing only. – Tabitha B.

Do you have something to add to the conversation? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below or share with us on Facebook!

Woodworking is my time, plus my family thinks there is nothing Dad can’t make. I found out a long time ago that it doesn’t have to be perfect to be greatly appreciated. I look forward to having my 4 month old grandson in the shop with me.

I love the entire process of creating (or finding), developing and completing a variety of different woodworking projects. I recently spent considerable time on a project as a gift for a friend, in her letter of thanks she wrote “I can’t express how much I love it and how much it means to me. The workmanship is beautiful and knowing the time and love you put into it makes it something I will always treasure.” That makes it all worthwhile to me. I recently saw a great quote, “The world always seems brighter when you’ve made something that wasn’t there before.” Neil Gaiman

I ‘discovered’ woodworking to fill a need my teacher/daughter had when she needed book shelves. Nothing available in stores was as sturdy or long-lasting as what I can fashion and which can take the abuse given by little students. I found it satisfying to make something which will last and that she can say was made by her dad. This expanded to other projects, i.e., hope chests, a roll around kitchen cart to supplant a lack of counter space in her tiny apartment, then more book cases for her and her sister.
I learn as I go, but the satisfaction of taking a raw material (wood), and creating something lasting is very satisfying. It is similar to when we had a photo studio and I could take a piece of raw material (blank photo paper) and create a lasting image for a customer. AND, it is a ‘hobby’ where the opportunity for creativity is never ending as is the learning process!

Woodworking is satisfying, the joy of working with your hands making something. Walnut Oak or what ever doesn’t matter.When the project is finished.The pride and satisfaction and enjoyment stays with you the rest of your life! Would be good therapy for Veterans.

In my professional life I manage large complex projects that involves directing the work of many others. I’m very dependent on them to do their work and do it well. At the end of the day I’m mentally exhausted but sometimes have little to physically show for it. What I love about wood working is that I’m the only one involved. Results, good or bad are on me. I control the entire process and at the end of the day I have something tangible to show for my efforts. There’s an old adage that people like to see the chips fly and so do I.

In the past 30 yrs I’ve been Law Enforcement and & my stress in a back log. I took wood working in high school and I enjoyed so much that I hung onto that feeling. After retiring I went back to wood working and I started making small furniture an as I got older, I started making wooden toys and since then I have been giving the TOYs away, and all I do now goes to the children around the local area here in The Black hills of South Dakota, I enjoy the love of wood wooking an the JOY of seeing thier little eyes get big and the smiles makes my wood work all worth It…

woodworking is one of the few remaining jobs/careers/hobbies that is not soley reliant upon technology and which hasn’t changed since the beginning of time. A tree is still a tree and no computer can change that.Day by day the number of people who can do something with their hands apart from turning on a computer and hitting keys is quickly diminishing. Soon woodcraft people should be the highest paid profession in the world if only because the educated derelicts all need something to sit and walk on.

I am 70 years old and have found working with wood is very relaxing. All my adult business life I have always used used woods to build. Now I have tons of best woods to build things I like. Your article is very satisfying to know there are people out there who finds wood working pleasant and stress free.

the point that many people miss is that we (all humans) are creative by our nature and our instinct. Yet we spend our lives doing jobs and tasks that require us to NOT be creative… this causes all of us a lot of stress. Any hobby that is primarily creative in nature will satisfy the creative parts of our psyche and alleviate that stress. Even if you are following directions and making something that hundreds of others have made… for you it’s the first time… be well all yall

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